Rory McIlroy showed exactly why fans adore him ahead of his opening round at the Memorial Tournament yesterday.
The Northern Irish star was warming up at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio when a young supporter caught his eye with a rather special sign.
The child's message simply read: "My name is Rory too."
It was impossible for the 37-year-old to walk past without stopping. Someone handed him a marker, and McIlroy promptly signed the youngster's sign before taking time to give autographs to several other fans gathered nearby.
Rory McIlroy takes part in the Memorial Tournament this weekend
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He tees off today alongside Justin Thomas.
McIlroy has enjoyed a relatively laid-back year following his remarkable achievement at Augusta National in April.
The 37-year-old became just the fourth player ever to win consecutive Masters titles, completing his career Grand Slam in the process.
Since that historic triumph, he's only competed twice on tour.
A tied-19th finish at the Truist Championship was followed by a solid performance at the PGA Championship, where he shot four under par to finish tied seventh.
Rory McIlroy signed autographs for a young fan whose name was also Rory
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Now he's back at Muirfield Village hunting for one title that has always eluded him – the Memorial Tournament trophy.
McIlroy has visited Muirfield Village 13 times throughout his career, yet the Memorial remains frustratingly out of reach.
He's managed just five top-10 finishes at the tournament, with his best result coming back in 2016 when he ended up tied for fourth.
"It's a wonderful tournament," McIlroy said this week. "Obviously a great list of champions on a wonderful golf course. I haven't quite figured it out yet. It's frustrated me over my career.
"But hopefully this is the week that I put it all together. I'm excited for a good tournament here. I missed this one last year. It's good to be back. So the course is as hard as ever, so looking forward to the challenge this week."
When asked which tournaments he'd most love to win for the first time, McIlroy was clear – the Memorial and Tiger Woods' event at Riviera top his list.
There's something deeply personal about his desire to triumph here, though.
"I've been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold [Palmer] was alive," he explained. "So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack's hand."
McIlroy and Nicklaus share a close bond spanning nearly two decades.
McIlroy completed the career grand slam last year | GB NEWS"He's been nothing but great to me and my family. So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done."